Siege of Badong (191)

The Siege of Badong occurred in 191 AD when Sun Jian's army captured the lumber yard of Badong from its Han garrison under Wei Jie, who was loyal to Dong Zhuo.

Background
After the coalition against Dong Zhuo dissolved in late 190 AD, Sun Jian leapt at the opportunity to carve out a domain for his family in the Southlands. He secured the town of Jiangling before focusing on securing the lumber yard of Badong across the Yangtze River, fording the river in late 190 AD. At the same time, the Han general Wei Jie moved into the town with his army, preparing to garrison the town and defend against the invaders.

Siege
In early 191 AD, Sun Jian and his army attacked Badong, facing a slightly larger army. Sun Jian was undaunted, and he decided to divide his army into halves: he led the majority of the army against the central pass into the lumber yard, while his general Huang Gai led another force up a pass to the east. The two generals each faced resistance from Han militia forces positioned in the two passes, but Huang Gai single-handedly slew several Han soldiers in his pass and broke through. Meanwhile, on Sun Jian's flank, his infantry engaged the Han troops as his archers progressively moved up to fire on the Han units as they were gradually forced back through the pass. Sun Jian was able to slay Wei Jie in the ensuing battle, and Sun Jian and Huang Gai's units pushed through their passes before ultimately meeting up in the lumber yard to slaughter the fleeing Han soldiers. The battle was a close victory for Sun Jian's army, which lost a third of its strength, but destroyed another Han army and successfully secured a foothold on the other side of the Yangtze River.